Our Vancouver Trip + My Favourite Vancouver Spots

After a glorious 6 weeks in Vancouver, it's time for us to head back to Sydney. This trip has been so full in the best of ways. We got to attend two incredibly fun weddings, including a Greek Orthodox wedding where I had the privilege of being the maid of honour. We also spent time on Gabriola Island, my favourite Gulf Island and a place I have been visiting my whole life. Because this was my first visit home in 5 years where I haven't been breastfeeding a baby, I had a lot more freedom to get out and explore. I decided before we left that I wanted to be super intentional in how I spent my time in Vancouver. I didn't want to get to the end of our visit and realise that I hadn't seen the people I wanted to see, or done the things I wanted to do. Before we left, I started a list in Wunderlist called 'Vancouver Bucket List'. I had another list simply called 'Vancouver things', where I documented all of our adventures, from the hikes we did to the cafes we visited. I'm so glad I did this! It kept me inspired and motivated to keep exploring and make the most of our time. And now it's fun to look back and see everything we were able to do. 

In case you're interested, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite things to do in and around Vancouver, and places to visit:

Coffee & a treat: Beaucoup, Moja Coffee, Matchstick, Elysian Coffee Roasters, The Birds and the Beets, Earnest Ice Cream, Rain or Shine Ice Cream, Aphrodite's. 

Eat & drink: White Spot, Andina, Solly's, The Reef, Howe Sound Brew Pub (in Squamish), Juice Bar, Juniper, Lucky Tacos, Chickpea, La Mezcaleria, Meat & Bread, Bridges Patio, The Narrow Lounge.

Do: bike the seawall, visit Stanley Park, hike the Grouse Grind, hike The Chief, hike Hollyburn Mountain, Maplewood Petting Zoo, the Aquarium, Science World, Kits Farmer's Market, Trout Lake Farmer's Market, see the Fireworks (in August), do a yoga class with Mara Branscombe at One Yoga, browse Anthropologie, visit Spool of Thread for gorgeous fabric. 

And a few places that are going on my bucket list for next time: Savio Volpe, Nuba, Kissa Tanto, Mamie Taylor's, Keefer Bar, upstairs at Campagnolo and lots more hiking!

Until next time Vancouver!